Background: News footage of Virginia Smith in court on Dec. 2 (WOWK). Inset: Cheyenne Johnson (Facebook).
A woman from West Virginia has been sentenced for her involvement in a chilling crime where another woman was reportedly thrown into a well by her boyfriend.
Virginia Smith, aged 33, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole on Tuesday, following the murder of 35-year-old Cheyenne Johnson four years ago. In February 2023, she admitted guilt to charges of first-degree murder, hiding a dead body, and using a firearm during the crime. Before her sentencing, she testified against her former boyfriend, 46-year-old Michael Smith, who is not related to her. His trial ended with a conviction for second-degree murder on October 30.
According to local CBS station WOWK, Virginia Smith revealed to the court that Michael Smith instructed her to shoot Johnson with a rifle on April 29, 2021. Law&Crime had previously reported that Michael Smith confessed to authorities that he killed Johnson after an argument. He had accused Johnson of stealing Virginia’s car, and when Johnson returned the vehicle, a physical altercation ensued, during which Johnson brandished a knife.
Michael Smith recounted how Johnson refused to leave Virginia Smith alone, prompting him to retrieve a rifle from his car and threaten Johnson before ultimately shooting her in the head.
In her testimony during Michael Smith’s trial, Virginia Smith stated that he ordered her to shoot Johnson. Prosecutors highlighted that a young witness had informed law enforcement of seeing Virginia Smith fire the shot at Johnson.
After the shooting, Michael Smith disposed of Johnson’s body by lowering it into a deep water well on Virginia Smith’s property, using a belt and ratchet straps. Johnson’s body was discovered several days later after she was reported missing. The discovery was made possible by a tip from a source who turned out to be Virginia Smith.
Virginia Smith told the court during her testimony that she had a serious drug problem at the time of the crime, something Michael Smith’s defense attorney attempted to use to discredit her story.
Virginia Smith was also sentenced to one to five years for the firearm charge, plus an additional 10 years for concealment of a body. She received credit for time served.
Michael Smith’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Matt Naham contributed to this story.
